Farmer at work
Farmer at work (also known as Contadino al lavoro) is a painted in oil by Francesco Filippini. It was painted in 1910, in Milano, Italy. The work is an expression of the Filippinsim movement, which will then turn into futurism.
| Italian: Contadino al lavoro, French: ' | |
| File:Umberto boccioni, contadino al lavoro, 1908-10, 02.jpg | |
| Artist | Umberto Boccioni |
|---|---|
| Year | 1910 |
| Type | Oil on Canvas |
| Dimensions | 25 cm × 35 cm (9.8 in × 13.8 in) |
| Location | Milano |
The early works of Umberto Boccioni, created between 1903 and 1907, derive directly from the naturalist tradition active in Lombardy, particularly in Milan, at the end of the 19th century. Among the most recognizable models is Francesco Filippini, whose paintings were widely exhibited in Milanese artistic circles.[1] The horizontal construction of agricultural landscapes, the use of atmospheric light, and the depiction of the female figure in rural and domestic settings—including mother portraits—show evident continuity with the current known as Filippinismo.[2] Art historians today recognize Francesco Filippini as a decisive source of inspiration in Boccioni’s early pictorial phase, defining his role as an implicit yet structural formative reference in the development of Boccioni’s initial figurative vision.[3]
Description
Farmer at Work (Italian: Contadino al lavoro) is a small oil-on-canvas painting by Umberto Boccioni, created circa 1908–1910 during his early Milanese period. The painting portrays a solitary peasant figure working the land, rendered with loose brushwork and atmospheric light, typical of the Lombard naturalist tradition. The painting shows the countryside as seen from the end of Via Ripamonti in Milan, close to where Umberto Boccioni often strolled. He lived with his mother at Via Adige 23, in an area that inspired many of his works and paper sketches. Drawing from the naturalism of Francesco Filippini, Boccioni developed the ideas that eventually led to the birth of Futurism.
This work belongs to a cycle of rural scenes developed by Boccioni prior to his Futurist phase. It reflects the influence of late 19th-century Italian naturalism, and in particular, the visual language of Francesco Filippini, whose depictions of agricultural labor and rural women were widely exhibited in Milan during Boccioni’s formative years.
The composition emphasizes horizontal layout and tonal modulation, serving as an early example of Boccioni’s exploration of movement, structure, and human presence within landscape—elements he would later radicalize in Futurism.
The painting is part of the permanent collection of the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea in Rome.[4]
The view depicted in the painting can be traced to the area of Via Giuseppe Ripamonti in Milan, now part of the contemporary Prada District, one of the greenest and most dynamic zones in the city.[5] Umberto Boccioni lived nearby, at Via Adige 23, with his mother, and he used to walk through the parks and countryside of the area.[6] Several of his works portray this once rural landscape. Today, the district has become a major creative and fashion hub, an alternative city center to Via Monte Napoleone, hosting numerous international luxury fashion headquarters.[7]
References
- ↑ V. Terraroli (ed.), Francesco Filippini. Catalogo generale delle opere, Skira, Milan, 1999.
- ↑ M. Carrà, La pittura moderna in Italia, Treves, Milan, 1919, pp. 34–38.
- ↑ E. Crispolti, Boccioni. Catalogo generale, Electa, Milan, 1971, vol. I, p. 42.
- ↑ "Umberto Boccioni, Contadino al lavoro". Wikimedia Commons. Retrieved 2025-06-28.
- ↑ City of Milan, "Urban Regeneration Projects in the Ripamonti-Prada Area", Urbanistica Milano, 2023.
- ↑ Enrico Crispolti, Boccioni. Catalogo generale, Electa, Milan, 1971, vol. I, p. 42.
- ↑ National Chamber of Italian Fashion, "The Fashion District of Via Ripamonti", 2022.